Concealed hinge

ABSTRACT

A concealed hinge for connecting a pair of members to a fixture. A pair of hinge posts are mounted to the fixture each having coaxially aligned and outwardly extending pins. One of the members is ring shaped and has a rear portion with an upwardly extending wall which cooperatively defines with a pair of flanges depending therefrom a recess for concealing the hinge posts. The pins of the hinge posts project freely through each flange of the member with the member being pivotable thereon. The other member is restable atop the one member and has a rear portion with a pair of socketed walls depending therefrom cooperatively defining a cavity into which the upwardly extending wall projects. The hinge posts are spaced inward of the flanges which are spaced inward of the pair of walls. The hinge pins project freely into the sockets provided in the pair of walls.

[4511 rem. 12, R974 CONCEALED HINGE [75] Inventor: Vernon L. Waldon, Crawfordsville,

Ind.

[73] Assignee: ingress Manufacturing Co., Inc.,

Crawfordsville, Ind.

22 Filed: Feb. 24, 1972 21 Appl. No.: 229,012

[52] US. Cl. 4/236, 4/240 [51] Int. Cl A47k 13/12 [58] Field of Search 4/236, 240

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,590,40l 7/197] Brown 4/236 2,333,732 I 1/1943 Morris 4/240 2,500,594 3/1950 Young 4/236 2,852,786 9/1958 Reinhard 4/236 3,038,] 73 6/1962 Turek et al. 4/236 3,334,361 8/1967 Watson 4/236 3,526,907 9/1970 Stairs 4/236 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 893,347 4/1962 Great Britain 4/236 922,795 4/1963 Great Britain 4/236 199,748 2/1965 Sweden 4/236 Primary Examiner-Peter Feldman Assistant Examiner-Donald B. Massenberg v Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Woodard, Weikart, Em-

hardt & Naughton ABSTRACT A concealed hinge for connecting a pair of members to a fixture. A pair of hinge posts are mounted to the fixture each having coaxially aligned and outwardly extending pins. One of the members is ring shaped and has a rear portion with an upwardly extending wall which cooperatively defines with a pair of flanges de pending therefrom a recess for concealing the hinge posts. The pins of the hinge posts project freely through each flange of the member with the member being pivotable thereon. The other member is restable atop the one member and has a rear portion with a pair of socketed walls depending therefrom cooperatively defining a cavity into which the upwardly extending wall projects. The hinge posts are spaced inward of the flanges which are spaced inward of the pair of walls. The hinge pins project freely into the sockets provided in the pair of walls.

1 1 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures Patented Feb. 12, 1974 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.

Fig.2

Fig. 3

Patented Feb. 12, 1974 3,790,95

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 2 l 51 45 43 .NJL

Fig.6

CONCEALED HINGE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention:

This invention is in the field of hinges.

2. Description of the Prior Art:

A number of hinges have been devised for pivotally coupling a plurality of members. A representative sample of the prior art includes the following disclosures:

U. S. Pat. No. 3,038,173 issued to .I. R. Turek;

U. S. Pat. No. 3,261,029 issued to H. Beneke;

U. S. Pat. No. 2,240,220 issued to H. C. Leslie;

U. S. Pat. No. 2,333,732 issued to C. R. Morris; U. S. Pat. No. 2,500,594 issued to W. H. Young; and,

U. S. Pat. No. 3,334,361 issued to R. E. Watson.

In addition, the Great Britain Pat. No. 922,795, and the Swedish Pat. No. 199,748 and the Great Britain Pat. No. 893,347 show disclosures which are of interest. Also, my U. S. patent application, Ser. No. 123,741 filed Mar. 12, 1971 and entitled QUICK CHANGE HINGE ASSEMBLY, discloses prior art hinges. The concealed hinge disclosed herein allows for a more attractive concealed hinge with a smaller number of parts as compared with many of the prior art devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION One embodiment of the present invention comprises bracket means mountable to a fixture, pin means fixed to the bracket means, a first member having an upwardly projecting rear end portion with a pair of parallel walls depending therefrom forming a recess concealing the bracket means, the walls being pivotally mounted to the pin means, a second member extending over the first member and having a rear end portion with a pair of parallel flanges depending therefrom forming a cavity concealing the rear end portion of the first member, the flanges having sockets which bearingly receive the pin means.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a concealed hinge for mounting a plurality of members to a fixture.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved concealed hinge for pivotally coupling a lid and ring to a toilet bowl.

Related objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a top view of the toilet elements embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view thereof.

FIG. 3 is an end view looking in the direction of arrow 3 of FIG. 2 illustrating details of the concealed hinge.

FIG. '4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross sectional view taken along a line and viewed in the direction of arrows 44 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary cross sectional view taken along a line and viewed in the direction of arrows 5-5 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary cross sectional view taken along a line and viewed in the direction of arrows 6-6 of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT For the purposes of promoting, an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood! that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated device, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a toilet seat ring 21 and a toilet seat lid 20 pivotally mounted atop flange 22 of a conventional toilet. A pair of mounting brackets 23 and 24 are securable toflange 22 and pivotally receive the toilet seat ring and toilet seat lid. Lid 20 is fragmented in area 25 illustrating the ring shaped configuration of the toilet seat. Ring 21 has a main body seat portion 26 which extends generally horizontally having a front end 27 and a rear end 28. End 28 includes an upwardly extending wall 29 (FIG. 6) which forms a cavity30 for concealing mounting brackets 23 and 24. A pair of spaced apart flanges 31 and 32 (FIG. 3) are integrally connected to the toilet seat ring and extend downwardly from wall 29 thereby cooperatively defining cavity 30 with wall 29.

Brackets 23 and 24 have respectively hinge pins 33 and 34 mounted in cantilevered fashion with each hinge pin projecting laterally outward in coaxial relationship. Pin 33 projects bearingly through flange 32 of seat ring 21 whereas hinge pin 34 projects bearingly through flange 31 of seat ring 21. Each flange 31 and 32 has a hole extending therethrough which bearingly receives the hinge pins so as to allow the seat ring to be pivotable on the hinge pins. For example, flange 31 is provided with hole 35 (FIG. 6) which receives hinge pin 34.

The toilet seat lid 20 includes a main body wall 36 (FIG. 2) which is testable atop ring 21 thereby covering the ring. Wall 36 has a front end 37 and a rear end 38. A pair of walls 39 and 40 (FIG. 3) are connected to end 38 and depend therefrom. Walls 39 and 40 are provided with sockets which bearingly receive respectively hinge pins 33 and 34 thereby allowing the toilet seat lid to be pivotable on the hinge pins. Walls 39 and 40 have mutually facing surfaces with the sockets opening only through the mutually facing surfaces. For example, socket 41 is provided in wall 40 and opens only through surface 42 (FIG. 4) of the wall. The mutually facing surfaces of walls 39 and 40 are parallel and adjacent to the outwardly facing surfaces of flanges 32 and 31. For example, surface 43 (FIG. 3) of flange 31 is immediately adjacent to surface 42 of wall 40. Flanges 31 and 32 have mutually facing surfaces which are parallel and adjacent to brackets 24 and 23. The holes in flanges 31 and 32 open only through the mutually facing surfaces and the outwardly facing surfaces of the flanges. For example, hole 35 (FIG. 6) of flange 31 opens only through surface 43 and surface 44 (FIG. 3). Flanges 31 and 32 which are positioned immediately inward of walls 40 and 39 and immediately outward of brackets 24 and 23 are integrally connected to the toilet seat ring. Pins 33 and 34 project outwardly from the mounting brackets through the flanges and into the sockets of walls 39 and 40. The pins are in coaxial relationship as are the holes in flanges 31 and 32- and the sockets in walls 39 and 40. Both the sockets and the holes are defined by continuous cylindrical surfaces. Both pins have cylindrical cross sections.

Lid 20 has a thickened portion 45 (FIG. 4) immediately forward of the rear portion 38 of the lid and cooperatively defines with walls 39 and 40 a cavity 46 into which the upwardly extending wall 29 projects. Wall 47 of cover 20 extends slightly upward. The bottom end 48 of portion 45 is spaced from the top of ring 21 (FIG. 6) when the lid is resting atop the ring. Portion 45 is wedge shaped and extends between and is integrally connected directly to each of the depending walls 39 and 40. FIG. illustrates the lid by dashed lines in the upward open position. When the top of the lid rests against the toilet reservoir cabinet, the bottom surface 63 of wedge portion 45 is aligned with surface 64 of wall 29. In addition, the bottom end 48 of wedge portion 45 is immediately adjacent and closely spaced to the top end of wall 29 when the lid is raised providing for a very small gap 62 thereby concealing the hinge posts. Referring to FIG. 6, the distance 49 from wedge portion 45 to the center axis of each hinge pin is slightly greater than the maximum distance 51 from the top of wall 29 to the center of each hinge pin thereby allowing lid 20 to pivot about the hinge pins without interfering with wall 29, but close enough to avoid a large gap when the lid is up but the ring is down. The bottom 48 of portion 45 is lower in elevation than the longitudinal axis 52 (FIG. 6) of the hinge pins.

Bracket 24 will now be described, it being understood that a similar description applies to bracket 23. Bracket 24 has a base 53 with a depending threaded member 54 mounted at one end and an upwardly extending hinge post 56 mounted at the opposite end. Threaded member 54 is extendable through flange 22 of the toilet for rigid attachment thereto. A standard fastening device such as a nut 55 is threaded onto the lower end of member 54 securing the bracket to the toilet. Each hinge post of each bracket has a pin cantilevered thereto. For example, pin 34 is cantilevered to hinge post 56. Each hinge pin has a cylindrical smooth surface bearingly receiving the hole and socket of the ring 21 and lid 20. The longitudinal axis 52 of hinge pin 33 and 34 passes centrally through the holes of flanges 31 and 32 and the sockets of walls 39 and 40.

It will be obvious from the above description that cavity 46 which is cooperatively formed by portion 45, wall 47 and walls 39 and 40 conceal wall 29 when the lid rests atop the ring. Likewise, recess 30 formed by wall 29 in end 28 of seat 21 conceals the brackets secured to the toilet including the hinge posts.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only the preferred embodiment has been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claims are also desired to be protected.

The invention claimed is:

l. A concealed hinge assembly comprising:

mounting bracket means securable to a fixture;

a pin means fixed to said bracket means;

a first member with'a seat portion extending generally horizontally and having a front and rear portion, said rear portion including an upwardly extending wall with a top end and a top surface and a pair of spaced apart flanges extending downwardly from said wall forming a cavity concealing said bracket means, each of said flanges having a hole extending therethrough bearingly receiving said pin means whereby said first member is pivotable thereon;

a second member including a cover wall restable atop said first member and having a second rear portion with a pair of depending walls each having a socket bearingly receiving said pin means whereby said second member is pivotable thereon, said second member having a thickened portion immediately forward of said second rear portion cooperatively defining with said depending walls a second cavity into which said upwardly extending wall projects, said thickened portion having a bottom end positioned immediately adjacent said top end of said upwardly extending wall when said second member is in the upward open position to conceal said mounting bracket means.

2. The concealed hinge assembly of claim 1 wherein:

said pin means includes a pin with a longitudinal axis passing centrally through said hole and said socket;

said thickened portion has a bottom surface extending from said cover wall to said bottom end, said bottom surface is aligned with said top surface of said upwardly extending wall when said second member is in said upwardly extending position.

3. The concealed hinge assemblyof claim 1 wherein:

said thickened portion is spaced from each of said pins a distance greater than the maximum distance of said pins from the outer surface of said upwardly extending wall thereby allowing said thickened portion to pivot about said pin means in said second cavity without interference.

4. The concealed hinge assembly of claim 3 wherein:

said flanges are positioned immediately inward of said depending walls and immediately outward of said bracket means which includes a pair of upstanding members, said pin means includes a pair of coaxially aligned pins cantilevered to said upstanding members and projecting outwardly therefrom into said hole of each of said flanges and said socket of each of said depending walls.

5. The concealed hinge assembly of claim 4 wherein:

each upstanding member includes a downwardly extending threaded member which is extendable into said fixture for rigid attachment thereto, each of said cantilevered pins has a cylindrical smooth surface, said upstanding members have mutually facing vertical surfaces.

6. The concealed hinge assembly of claim 5 wherein:

said depending walls have mutually facing surfaces, said sockets open only through said mutually facing surfaces;

each of said flanges has an outer surface parallel and adjacent to one of said depending walls and an inner surface parallel and adjacent to one of said vertical surfaces of said upstanding members, said hole in each of said flanges open only through said outer surface and said inner surface of said flanges.

7. The concealed hinge assembly of claim 6 wherein:

said thickened portion is wedge shaped and extends between and integrally connected directly to each of said depending walls.

8. A concealed hinge assembly mountable to a fixture comprising:

bracket means mountable to said fixture having hinge pins projecting laterally outward in coaxial relationship;

a first ring shaped member pivotally mounted to said hinge pins and having an upwardly projecting rear end portion witha pair of parallel walls depending therefrom forming a bracket means concealing re cess; and,

a cover pivotally mounted to said hinge pins and ex tending over said member and having a rear end portion with a pair of parallel flanges depending therefrom forming a cavity concealing said rear end portion of said member.

9. The hinge assembly of claim wherein:

said walls have coaxially aligned holes with continuous cylindrical surfaces bearingly receiving said pins and said flanges have coaxially aligned sockets with continuous cylindrical surfaces bearingly receiving said pins.

lltl. The hinge assembly of claim 9 wherein:

said bracket means includes a pair of hinge posts spaced adjacent to and inward of said walls which are adjacent to and inward of said flanges; and,

said cover has a bottom projection cooperatively with said flanges and said rear end portion defining said cavity.

111. The hinge assembly of claim 9 wherein:

said member is a toilet seat ring and said cover is a toilet seat lid; and

said pins each have a circular cross section.

=l =i= =l =l 

1. A concealed hinge assembly comprising: mounting bracket means securable to a fixture; a pin means fixed to said bracket means; a first member with a seat portion extending generally horizontally and having a front and rear portion, said rear portion including an upwardly extending wall with a top end and a top surface and a pair of spaced apart flanges extending downwardly from said wall forming a cavity concealing said bracket means, each of said flanges having a hole extending therethrough bearingly receiving said pin means whereby said first member is pivotable thereon; a second member including a cover wall restable atop said first member and having a second rEar portion with a pair of depending walls each having a socket bearingly receiving said pin means whereby said second member is pivotable thereon, said second member having a thickened portion immediately forward of said second rear portion cooperatively defining with said depending walls a second cavity into which said upwardly extending wall projects, said thickened portion having a bottom end positioned immediately adjacent said top end of said upwardly extending wall when said second member is in the upward open position to conceal said mounting bracket means.
 2. The concealed hinge assembly of claim 1 wherein: said pin means includes a pin with a longitudinal axis passing centrally through said hole and said socket; said thickened portion has a bottom surface extending from said cover wall to said bottom end, said bottom surface is aligned with said top surface of said upwardly extending wall when said second member is in said upwardly extending position.
 3. The concealed hinge assembly of claim 1 wherein: said thickened portion is spaced from each of said pins a distance greater than the maximum distance of said pins from the outer surface of said upwardly extending wall thereby allowing said thickened portion to pivot about said pin means in said second cavity without interference.
 4. The concealed hinge assembly of claim 3 wherein: said flanges are positioned immediately inward of said depending walls and immediately outward of said bracket means which includes a pair of upstanding members, said pin means includes a pair of coaxially aligned pins cantilevered to said upstanding members and projecting outwardly therefrom into said hole of each of said flanges and said socket of each of said depending walls.
 5. The concealed hinge assembly of claim 4 wherein: each upstanding member includes a downwardly extending threaded member which is extendable into said fixture for rigid attachment thereto, each of said cantilevered pins has a cylindrical smooth surface, said upstanding members have mutually facing vertical surfaces.
 6. The concealed hinge assembly of claim 5 wherein: said depending walls have mutually facing surfaces, said sockets open only through said mutually facing surfaces; each of said flanges has an outer surface parallel and adjacent to one of said depending walls and an inner surface parallel and adjacent to one of said vertical surfaces of said upstanding members, said hole in each of said flanges open only through said outer surface and said inner surface of said flanges.
 7. The concealed hinge assembly of claim 6 wherein: said thickened portion is wedge shaped and extends between and integrally connected directly to each of said depending walls.
 8. A concealed hinge assembly mountable to a fixture comprising: bracket means mountable to said fixture having hinge pins projecting laterally outward in coaxial relationship; a first ring shaped member pivotally mounted to said hinge pins and having an upwardly projecting rear end portion with a pair of parallel walls depending therefrom forming a bracket means concealing recess; and, a cover pivotally mounted to said hinge pins and extending over said member and having a rear end portion with a pair of parallel flanges depending therefrom forming a cavity concealing said rear end portion of said member.
 9. The hinge assembly of claim 8 wherein: said walls have coaxially aligned holes with continuous cylindrical surfaces bearingly receiving said pins and said flanges have coaxially aligned sockets with continuous cylindrical surfaces bearingly receiving said pins.
 10. The hinge assembly of claim 9 wherein: said bracket means includes a pair of hinge posts spaced adjacent to and inward of said walls which are adjacent to and inward of said flanges; and, said cover has a bottom projection cooperatively with said flanges and said rear end portion defining said cavity.
 11. The hinge assembly of claiM 9 wherein: said member is a toilet seat ring and said cover is a toilet seat lid; and said pins each have a circular cross section. 